Esterházy
The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy, is a Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time that it was part of the Habsburg monarchy and later Austria-Hungary. During the history of the Habsburg Empire, the Esterházy family were consistently loyal to the Habsburg rulers. The Esterházys received the title of Graf in 1626, and the Forchtenstein line received the title of Fürst from the Holy Roman Emperor in 1712.
History
The Esterházys arose among the minor nobility of the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, originally a branch of the Salamon clan by the name Zerházi. Their first known ancestor was Mokud from the Salamon clan, who was a military serviceman and landowner in the Csallóköz region of Western Hungary, and Pristaldus, a judicial office-holder in the court of Béla III of Hungary.The name Esterházy was first used by Benedict Zerhas de Zerhashaz, who in 1539 took over the wealth of his wife, Ilona Bessenyei de Galántha. Their son, Ferenc Esterházy inherited the coat of arms and title of his mother and the full surname of the family became Eszterházy de Galántha, Galanta being a small town east of Bratislava, now capital of Slovakia.
The family rose to prominence under Count Nikolaus Esterházy and his son, Prince Paul Esterházy. In the 17th century, after Nikolaus' acquisitions, the family split into four main family lines:
- the older Forchtenstein line: founded by Nikolaus Esterházy, main seat: Eisenstadt
- The three cadet branches:
- * the younger Forchtenstein line
- * the Zólyom line: founded by Paul Esterházy
- * the Csesznek line: founded by Daniel Esterházy
The success of the family arose from the steady accumulation of land, and loyalty both to the Roman Catholic Church and the Habsburg Emperor, the latter factor being the most important. A consistent theme of Hungarian history was an ardent and sometimes violent wish to become free of Austrian rule, a wish that was finally fulfilled at the end of World War I. The Esterházy princes were consistently loyal to the Habsburg monarchy, on several occasions rendered vital services to it in times of crisis. These included the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683, and the occupation of Vienna by Napoleon in 1809.
The family acquired its property in three principal ways: redistribution of lands taken from Protestants in the Counter-Reformation, redistribution of lands conquered from the Ottoman Empire, and felicitous marriages. Most of these lands were situated in present-day Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. The family ultimately became the largest landowners in the Habsburg Empire, and their income sometimes exceeded that of the Emperor.
Residences
The family derived its name from the settlement Esterháza, Kingdom of Hungary. The settlement no longer exists, and is not to be confused with the later castle of the same name which they inhabited since the Middle Ages. Since 1421 they have been the owners of a property in Galánta.The most important seat of the Esterházys was Kismarton, since the heads of the family chose to make a castle in this tiny village their primary residence. A fortified stronghold had been built there in the 14th century; after the Esterházys acquired it they rebuilt it 1663–1672 to what is now the princely Schloss Esterházy. Their practical reason for choosing to create and maintain the princely court at Eisenstadt may have been that while the region was in Hungary, it had been mainly settled by Germans, and was situated rather close to the Habsburgs' Imperial residence, Vienna.
The Esterházys maintained a number of other residences throughout the Kingdom of Hungary, including Transylvania, and those Esterházy princes who preferred the stylish life of the capital spent most of their time in Vienna. In the 1770s, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, who disliked Vienna, had a magnificent new palace constructed in Fertőd, Hungary. It was built on the site of a former hunting lodge. Today this is the most admired of the Esterházy homes, often called the "Hungarian Versailles."
Nomenclature
The main line of the Esterházy family were generally bilingual, in Hungarian and German. Esterházys living in parts of the Kingdom of Hungary where other languages were spoken by the population also spoke those languages, especially Slavic languages in Slavic areas.Some family members went by both Hungarian and German names. Thus, Antal Pál was the same person as Paul Anton, and József Miklós was the same person as Nikolaus Josef. In discussions written in English, the Esterházy princes are occasionally given English versions of their names, as in "Nicholas".
The family name is also rendered variously: Eszterházy, Esterházy, and Esterhazy. The full family name since the 16th century was Eszterházy de Galántha. The Latinised form of the family name, Estoras, in 2009 is used to label fine Esterházy wines.
The Esterházy family is known for its association with the composer Joseph Haydn, who served as their Kapellmeister. Haydn was hired by Prince Paul Anton in 1761, and from 1762 to 1790 served under Paul Anton's successor Nikolaus. During the following reign, that of Prince Anton, the Esterházy family mostly did without the services of musicians, and Haydn, retained on a nominal appointment, spent most of this time in trips to England. Finally, during the reign of Nikolaus II, Haydn worked for the family on a part-time basis. He spent his summers in Eisenstadt and annually composed a mass for the name day of the Prince's wife, Princess Maria Josepha Hermengilde. Haydn continued to perform these duties until his health failed in 1802.
Lines of the family
The first prominent member of the family was Ferenc Zerházy, who was elevated to the title of baron of Galántha and took the name Esterházy. Family history since this time is described according to three lines of descent, each originating in one of Ferenc's sons: the Fraknó line, the Csesznek line, and the Zólyom line.Fraknó (Forchtenstein) line
The Fraknó line became "the most prominent of the three".In the discussion that follows, Hungarian names are given in brackets.
Count Nikolaus Miklós (1583–1645)
Nikolaus was born in Galanta. Raised as a Protestant, he later converted to Catholicism. Created Count by the Emperor in 1626, he achieved great wealth in part by marrying into money.In 1625, Nikolaus was elected Palatine of Hungary, the King's chief lieutenant within Royal Hungary. Nikolaus laid out what became the long-term family strategy, allying himself with the Catholic religion and the Habsburg emperor. He fought against the Protestant champions and Prince of Transylvania, Gábor Bethlen and György Rákóczi, and sought to free Hungary from Turkish domination.
Prince Paul Pál (1635–1713)
Paul was the third son of Nicholas, born in Eisenstadt. Elected Palatine in 1681 and created Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in 1687 by the Emperor. Paul was a poet, a harpsichordist, and a composer; a number of his cantatas survive; see Harmonia Caelestis. He also wrote a number of religious works. Under Paul the palace in Eisenstadt was rebuilt. Paul served as commander of troops in southern Hungary, during the struggle against the Turks, starting in 1667, and his troops were among the coalition that raised the siege of Vienna in 1683. He also played an important role in suppressing the autonomy of the existing Hungarian nobility.The line that descended from Paul, the first Esterházy prince, is given as in the following figure. The sequence of princes that follow him continues below.
Prince Michael [Mihály">:hu:Esterházy Mihály (kamarás)">Prince Michael [Mihály] (1671–1721)
Son of Paul, he was the first to benefit from a 1712 decree of Emperor Charles VI, which made the title of Prince hereditary among the Esterházys. Under him, the family seat at Eisenstadt evolved into a provincial musical center. He died 24 March 1721.Prince Joseph [József Simon Antal">:hu:Esterházy József Antal">Prince Joseph [József Simon Antal] (1688–1721)
Half-brother of Michael, he reigned for only 11 weeks, as he died on 7 June 1721. As his son Paul Anton was only ten, authority was assigned to two regents: Count Georg Erdödy, and his widow Maria Octavia von Gilleis. The latter was responsible for introducing the German language to the court.Prince Paul Anton Pál Antal (1711–1762)
The eldest son of Joseph. In his youth he studied in Leyden and also served as a soldier, rising to the rank of Field Marshal. He served as imperial ambassador to Naples from 1750 to 1752, and traveled extensively.Paul Anton was a musical prince; he played the violin, the flute, and the lute, and compiled a large inventory of musical manuscripts. Paul Anton also played an important role as a patron of music. In 1728, his mother Maria Octavia, "probably at her son's instigation" engaged the composer Gregor Werner to be the family's Kapellmeister, a post in which Werner served for several decades. Much later, Paul Anton engaged Joseph Haydn to be his Vice-Kapellmeister in 1761, taking over most of the aging Werner's duties. At the same time, he upgraded the court orchestra, hiring several virtuosi who served under Haydn; the composer recognized their ability by writing many solo parts in his early symphonies.